The long-running saga surrounding Edeka's proposed purchase of the Kaiser's chain from fellow German group Tengelmanns rumbles on, with a Dusseldorf court overturning a government decision to allow the deal to go ahead.
A deal to sell Kaser's to Edeka was originally struck between the two retailers in October of 2014.
German competition watchdog Bundeskartellamt stepped in at the beginning of April 2015 to block the move, suggesting that, despite concessions made by Edeka, the deal would limit competition in cities such as Munich and Berlin.
Tengelmann and Edeka subsequently applied for special ministerial consent to push the deal through, claiming that the potential economic benefits of the deal 'far outweighed the antitrust criticisms of the Bundeskartellamt'.
Despite Germany's economy ministry granting this special permission – on the condition that no jobs were lost – the higher regional court of Dusseldorf has voided the decision, saying that protecting workers is 'not equivalent to the public interest', Reuters reported.
Giving its verdict, the court also questioned economy minister Sigmar Gabriel's 'bias and a lack of neutrality' in the case.
